After denying we had ever been to Armenia about 20 times we were let through the border.
Instead of being greeted with perfect roads bought with the large oil reserve Azerbaijan is home to, we met this scary billboard and some of the worst roads of the trip .
They have quite the penchant for faux medival buildings in Azerbaijan
Posters and billboards of this guy popped up pretty regularly. Turns out he is the curropt president of the country. He’s dead now but his son was voted into the presidency after him.
These guys were great. Mustafa found us having one of our least substaintial lunches of the trip outside a small shop. he had no english but put us on the phone to his daughter who inited us for chai. What followed was an extravagant feast of pumpkin pancakes, sweets bread, coffee whiskey and a variety of fruit from his garden.
So much fog
Waking up to more fog
With all the rain and fog this was the first time we saw the sun or our shadows in days
The perplexing rock rivers of Azerbaijan
Mosques, petrol stations and mountain summed up our riding in northern Azerbaijan
We ended up camping somewhere down there.
They only had 12% gradient signs in the whole of Azerbaijan
This valley was full of picnic areas and gazebo, say it’s lovely in the summer.
Greater Caucusus
It’s pretty cool to vaguelly be following the silk route.
Hugo pretty sick of unnecessary climbs.
After spending the day climbing unnnessacry ridges we were pretty spent. We spotting these guys at the base of an unexpected climb late in the day. I pulled up beside them and asked if we could have a lift. Their reaction was priceless. The the three guys in the cab started hooping and hollering and jumped out and ran around shaking our hands. We all threw the bikes in the back of the van and we were off. After having chai and some of their homemade strawberry preserve we left them and looked for somewhere to camp.
The 120 km day to baku would be mostly downhill out of the hills and to the caspian sea
Rainy foothills turned to arid planes as the day passed
Old Baku and new
The flame towers have an english cinema and if you ask at the reception you can get a guided tour of the hotel to the top floor
View from the top of the towers
Can’t keep him away from the art
When you find yourself outside the worlds largest KFC (called the KFC palace by the local) you have you go in . Hugo was quite a fan of the ceiling
Visiting a Zoroastrian fire temple. Hugo and i split up when we entered the museum. When we bumped into each other we had both acquired a chaperone. The museum was completely empty except for both of us and our two chaperones following silently behind us.
An eternal flame
Baku means windy city
New Baku and old
The Eurovison was held here
The largest flagpole in the world
A peculiar looking mosque
Hugo stitching his pants by torchlight. That car in the background is a police car. Two police came over to see what was going on. When they figured we were foreign they left without saying anything.
Iran is like a night club, you need to put on trousers to get in.
Hugo got bit by a dog. Don’t worry Pauline, he’s alright.
don't hurry the journey 
Thanks Finn, you read my mind. Hugo did get that rabies vaccination, didn’t he? SERIOUSLY. Even if he did get the vaccine, he must go and have the bite seen to. PLEASE.
– https://rabiesalliance.org/rabies/what-is-rabies-and-frequently-asked-questions/exposure-prevention-treatment
First Aid after a bite
What to do if you are exposed to rabies
If you are bitten or scratched by a rabid animal, you must
Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water for at least 15 minutes.
Apply ethanol or a similar antiseptic to prevent secondary infection.
Seek urgent medical attention. You need to start post-exposure prophylaxis as soon as possible.
If you have already had pre-exposure prophylaxis, you still need further treatment.
Modern vaccines are the only way to prevent the onset of rabies after exposure. Traditional remedies, such as jackfruit gum and chilli powder do not stop the rabies virus.
Please treat any potential exposure to rabies seriously
– See more at: https://rabiesalliance.org/rabies/first-aid-after-a-bite/#sthash.IEJEWgZH.dpuf